Open Letter to 2016 Political Candidates — With the conventions of both parties now officially wrapped up, the US starts the 101 day march to the general election. Click the link to add your name to an open letter to all candidates discussing the importance of copyright.

What it takes to be a ‘Ghostbusters’ stuntwoman — “‘Ghostbusters’ shot for four months in Boston, and the stuntwomen trained even while on location. Most days on set, the women challenged one another to handstand contests. They worked out between rehearsals, went to a Parkour gym on days off, and hit mitts in the park. The life of a stuntwoman is to always be training. ‘I always do gymnastics to keep up my body awareness,’ Richardson said of her weekly training habits. ‘I also do judo and Kung Fu and then sometimes driving stuff with one of my friends who is great on motorcycles.'”

The Stories Behind Stranger Things’ Retro 80s Props — A lot of people, including me, have thoroughly enjoyed Netflix’s new series Stranger Things, which premiered July 15. A big part of the show’s appeal is its accurate portrayal of 1980’s Indiana. Wired Magazine talks with the show’s propmaster, Lynda Reiss, who played a critical role populating the world of Stranger Things with the objects that reflect that accuracy.

Why we Love Fair Use — CreativeFuture’s Ruth Vitale explains, “We love fair use because all creativity is a ‘dialogue,’ or an interchange of ideas and inspiration from one artist to another. Fair use is a uniquely American concept; it protects both the original creator and creators who fairly use parts of others’ works. Fair use is a fundamental principle of freedom of expression. And that is the core of creativity.”

Dark Patterns are designed to trick you (and they’re all over the Web) — Ars Technica discusses “deliberately confusing or deceptive user interfaces”, which intentionally or inadvertantly drive web users to do things they might not otherwise have, like “setting up recurring payments, purchasing items surreptitiously added to a shopping cart, or spamming all contacts through prechecked forms on Facebook games.”

About

Copyhype provides news and info on current developments relating to copyright law, the media industries, and the digital economy. It cuts through the hype to bring reasoned discussion aimed at both legal and nonlegal audiences.

Terry Hart is currently VP Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel at the Copyright Alliance. Any opinions expressed on this site remain his own and not necessarily those of his present or any past employers.